Wednesday 3 August 2011

Once, twice, three times a maybe.

If you're in the habit of reading this blog with a calculator in one hand and a slide rule in the other, you'll have noticed that Steve Does Comics has smashed through an obstacle to compare with the famed Sound Barrier itself.

That's right, Steve Does Comics is now a walloping 3 megabytes big. Frankly I don't know how Google can take the strain. They're probably ordering a van-load of new servers right now. But that magical number 3 is all the excuse I need to look at what our favourite Marvel heroes were up to on their third ever appearance.

As we'll see, like Steve Does Comics itself, it's a totally random mixture of the inspired and the hopeless.

Fantastic Four #3, first costumes, first Fantasti-car, first Miracle Man

After two issues of behaving like you and me, the Fantastic Four suddenly start acting like proper super-heroes, getting themselves costumes, a fancy HQ and a flying bath tub.

They also get to come up against the disgracefully under-rated Miracle Man. I don't care what anyone else says about the Miracle Man, I still love him.

Amazing Spider-Man #3, first ever appearance of Dr Octopus

The Amazing Spider-Man celebrates its third outing in style as Spidey meets Dr Octopus for the first time ever. That's what Peter Parker gets for complaining there're no real challengers in this world for a man with the powers of a spider.

Still, it could've been worse. Our wall-crawling wonder could've come up against Man-With-A-Giant-Glass-And-Sheet-Of-Paper Man. Then he'd've really been in trouble.

Avengers #3, the Hulk and Sub-Mariner

The green goliath's membership of the Avengers doesn't last long as, faster than you can say, "Hulk smash!" he's turned against his former team mates and linked up with the Sub-Mariner to give them no end of trouble.

Daredevil #3, first appearance the Owl

With his third appearance, the man without fear finally gets a super-foe of his own to fight as he comes up against what I suppose you have to count as his arch-enemy.

With his awesome power of gliding and not much else, the Owl's not exactly Dr Doom but he's still almost too much for DD to handle.

Everyone else in the world can say otherwise till they're blue in the face but I still prefer Daredevil's original costume to that fancy new red one he's been wearing for nearly fifty years.

Incredible Hulk #3, Ring-master and his Circus of Crime

The ever-changing feast that is the early run of The Incredible Hulk takes yet another turn as he develops the ability to leap but loses the ability to think, becoming nothing but a puppet of Rick Jones.

You can't get away from it, Lee and Kirby really were struggling to get the strip to work in its early days. Even the Ring-Master and his Circus of Crime couldn't get it going.

Journey into Mystery #85, Thor, first appearance of Loki

In his third outing, Thor meets his deadly ancient enemy Loki - even though Thor's only been around for three issues and therefore can't have an ancient enemy. I wonder how they'll ever get round that conundrum?

Personally, I'd love to read Filbert's Frightful Future but I fear I'll never get the chance.

Tales of Suspense #41, Iron Man v Dr Strange

Iron Man takes on Dr Strange but not that Dr Strange.

With his mind-control powers and his wholesome daughter, this Dr Strange was like the Puppet Master without the puppets. Was he ever heard from again? I'd like to think he was but suspect he wasn't.

X-Men #3, first appearance of the Blob

The Blob makes his first ever appearance, and the world of comic books would never be the same again.

Well, OK, it would.

I don't know much about the Blob. Is he one of those villains you could defeat by locking him in a closet? I always feel any villain who can be defeated by being locked in a closet probably isn't worthy of the title, "Super."
Tales to Astonish #37, Ant-Man v the Protector

In his third adventure, the mighty Ant-Man comes up against the Protector.

The Protector? He sounds nice - unlike that creepy sounding Ant-Man.

I love the tiny cannon sticking out of Ant-Man's house, capable of firing him all of two feet through the air.

And to think they called Henry Pym mad.



PS. A special celebration 3 megabyte Steve Does Comics No-Prize goes to the first reader to spot the "deliberate" mistake in this post. Never let it be said this isn't the Steve Does Comics Age of Megabytes.

6 comments:

Simon B said...

Would the deliberate mistake be that the Ant-Man story above is actually his fourth appearance, but his third in costume? He first appeared in "The Man In The Ant-Hill" back in Astonish 27 but reappeared 8 issues later in mini-spandex after literally tens of people begged for more insect-based crime-fighting.

Of course, if that isn't the answer you're looking for... I'll get me coat...

Steve W. said...

Sadly that's not my "deliberate" mistake. As you've hinted, Henry Pym wasn't Ant-Man in his first story, so Pym's fourth appearance was only Ant-Man's third appearance. I'm afraid my mistake involves another character.

Kid said...

Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15, so that makes SM #3 Spidey's 4th outing. "Filbert's Frightful Future" - send me your email address and I'll scan my copy and forward it to you.

Steve W. said...

You're right, Kid. It was indeed Spider-Man's fourth appearance. That coveted No-Prize is all yours. Sadly I only spotted my mistake once I'd finished the post.

As for Filbert's Frightful Future, I fear that actually reading it would rob it of its magic for me but I do appreciate the offer.

Kid said...

I've just noticed that you have an email address on the page - I can send it there if you like.

Steve W. said...

Only if it won't put you to any inconvenience. And won't get either of us arrested.